Shenzhen: From Its First Park to a "City of a Thousand Parks" Over the Past Century

In 1925, Zhongshan Park broke ground in Shenzhen's Nanshan District. Covering only 13,000 square meters, it marked the beginning of the city's urban green development – a quiet place for early residents to rest and relax. After Shenzhen was designated a Special Economic Zone in 1980, park construction accelerated rapidly. The "Park Trilogy" became a shared memory for a generation. In 1999, Zhongshan Park was expanded to 490,000 square meters. Since then, "going to the park" has gradually become part of daily life.

In the 21st century, Shenzhen shifted its focus to both quality and quantity. By the end of 2024, the city had built 1,320 parks, each with its own character. Parks are no longer just green lungs – they serve as hubs for technological innovation, cultural exchange and ecological education.

Throughout the process, Shenzhen has kept in step with public demand. Xiangmi Park pioneered public participation in design; 360 "community-built gardens" were created by residents themselves; more than 140 overpasses have been turned into "aerial flower corridors". Vertical greening has brought life to the concrete jungle.

At the same time, Shenzhen has pushed forward its "mountain-sea connection" plan. The 420-km "Three Trails and Three Lines" long-distance hiking system is now complete, and the 200-km Kunpeng Trail runs through the city, linking forest parks, wetland parks and other ecological nodes – attracting more than 10 million visitors for hiking and walking. The Xili Lake Ring Greenway, about 16.2 km long, is Shenzhen's first green ecological corridor combining both greenway and waterfront corridor functions, creating a spatial pattern of "one ring and nine scenic views".

By the end of 2024, Shenzhen had 14.80 square meters of park green space per capita. Some 91.2 per cent of residents now live within easy access to parks and green recreational spaces. The vision of "seeing greenery when opening the window and stepping into a park when leaving home" has become a reality.

From the first Zhongshan Park in 1925 to 1,320 parks spread across the city today, Shenzhen has written a century-long story of transformation – from a "city with parks" to a "park city". The young metropolis is spreading its wings like the mythical Kunpeng, creating a vivid ecological landscape along the South China Sea where people and nature live in harmony.